So you wish to
be a high-flying corporate executive? Be prepared to take the
CAT. The CAT or the Common Admission Test or CAT is one of the
most prestigious exams conducted in the country today. The exam
is the ticket to the haloed portals of learning – The Indian
Institutes of Management (IIMs).

The successful
candidates who pass the CAT have to appear for a Group
Discussion and Personal Interview. Once students sail through
both, they can pursue the post-graduate diploma in Management
and thereby make an enviable career. The CAT is not only the
doorway to the IIMs but also a score of other B-schools.

This year the
CAT has gone online. This means the students can appear for the
exam on any day between November 28 and December 7. It is
expected that the Computer Based Test will make it easier for
the IIMs to deal with the rising number of CAT aspirants. It may
be noted that six years ago there were only 95,000 candidates
taking the exam. Last year, the number rose by over 163 per cent
to around 250,000. Naturally, the administration board is
buckling under the strain of tremendous pressure of the
spiraling number of CAT aspirants.

It is expected
that with the exam going online, this pressure will definitely
ease.

Remember CAT
is one of the most difficult competitive exams and hence
cracking it is no cakewalk. Although it will be a computer-based
test from now on, the skills assessed will not be changed. You
will be tested on the topics like Verbal and Quantitative
Ability, General Knowledge and Data Interpretation. Hence, you
should focus on building a strong concept in all the topics.
Once you have done that, you should go on practicing.

By now, you should know what your weaknesses are.
Plug the loopholes by learning the concepts anew. Yes, while
gaining knowledge in the concepts, practice a few questions on
the CBT mode. The online test requires the CAT aspirant to be
knowledgeable about computer and mouse usage. An important CAT
preparation tip is to take the CAT mock test three to four weeks
before the exam. It would also be a nice idea to get a list of
the test centers. The above preparation tips will help you sail
through the CAT.